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Topic: Closed Fixin' Stuff That Needs Fixin' (Read 594 times)

Alone now, Rebecca's hand traveled from its seemingly innocent perch on his shoulder, up to the back of his neck. He still wasn't quite used to having a lot less shaggy mane there now, so when her palm met the skin on the back of his neck, he shivered as she asked where they had to start, promising to help out as much as she could. He took the gesture as a tease – or her way of messin' with him, just like he enjoyed messin' with her.

Bert turned his head and met her eyes. ”In all honesty? You can best help by sittin' that pretty butt of yours down over in that chair and keeping me company. At least for the inside part of the job,” he said. ”That'll keep you out of my hair for a bit, while giving me a bit of... inspiration,” he said, waggling his eyebrows playfully as he often did to the ladies he liked to flirt with. "When we get outside to check the thruster, you can definitely help me there. Look how skinny you are - you'll be able to slip right into the thruster intake and tell me if you see anything out of sorts," he said, his voice playful, though he was being honest. She was smaller than him and could fit more easily where they'd need to look next.

He moved over to the rear wall of the shuttle cabin and opened a small door, fishing out a toolkit. It wouldn't be as complete as his kit back on the GoldHound, but hopefully it would be enough, and unless there was something -major- wrong, it would be. He moved over to his right and opened a larger panel, then fished a flashlight out of his kit and turned it on. Shining it at the massive circuit board, he wanted to rule out the 'simple stuff' before heading outside to check the thruster itself. How many times had he done it the other way around, wasted hours and hours of work, only to find out it was a blown circuit control, or hydro-fuse? As he slowly looked down the entire circuit board, he kept talking.

”Think those two will stay out of trouble?” he asked curiously, without turning around to look at Becca, the beam of the flashlight reflecting on he dark green circuit board, slowly moving down as he made his inspection.

”And what are YOUR first plans, once we get this here shuttle back to normal and locked up? Plannin' on dippin' those little feet of yours in the surf?” he asked, figurin' that was probably gonna be her first plan of action once they got off the shuttle. He finally had her alone, now, and off the GoldHound... but, there was still work to do...

“I’m sacrificin’ a couple of hours of a much deserved vacation to help you get yours as fast as possible, and you’re tellin’ me the best I can do is sit and look pretty? If you really don’t need me, I’ll head to the beach while the sun’s still high. And can’t tell what’s wrong with thrusters, when I ain’t got a clue what it looks like when it’s right.” She said, taking his words as something of a dismissal. Maybe she had taken his willingness to trim on the hair as not specific to her, but more trying to broaden the number of ladies who might be interested in sharing his time?

“I trust Talia. The other one… Jury’s still out.” Becca said as she went and sat back into her pilot seat. She stretched her legs and landed the heel of her boots on the edge of the co-pilot’s seat. She wasn’t one to sit all straight and proper unless there was a reason to. With no higher ups with them now, sprawling comfortably, legs propped up, appeared to be the way to go. She tried not to have an opinion of crew members before she had an opportunity to get to know them at least a little.

“Pretty much. Ain’t every weekend we can kill time at the beach. We discussed that already, you offered to help me with sunscreen, remember? If I can find somewhere quiet enough, I might try to get a tan without bikini top tan lines…” She said with a crooked smile. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “What about you? Any plans?” She asked, trying to see if he would make good on his words and keep her company a bit, or if he would go on the hunt for an easier, less picky conquest.

She had no real illusion regarding Bert. She figured that she was one of the few ladies on board of the Goldhound who would not poke a hole in him, or rip him a new one for flirting and that the man enjoyed a flirt. She knew that she wasn’t ugly, but that didn’t mean that she was every man’s ideal of beauty either. He was cute and fun to have around, but it wasn’t like she had a crush on him or anything… right?

Bert did spare a quick glance back at Becca as she scolded him for wasting her time, then he let out a short laugh. “Did you just ignore want I just said? I need your help on the thruster outside – when we get to it after I check this here board,” he said, pointing at the big, long circuit board he was examining, to show her what he meant. ”When I'm done here – which should only take twenty minutes or so - we'll head outside. But I don't want you crawlin' around in the Thruster intake yet – if any of these leads are fried, or any of the fuses bad, you could be in for a very rude surprise when you get up in there. Safety first,” he said, tapping the side of his nose a couple times before returning to his work. ”But if you wanna head on out, go on ahead and I'll catch up,” he offered, not wanting to annoy her if she wasn't really interested in helping out.

When Becca responded about the two ladies that left, Bert chuckled. ”Well, been with Talia longer, and she seems like a straight-shooter. Blondie is newer, but the captain seems to have taken a liking to her... maybe... THAT kind of liking, you think?” he asked, turning his head and waggling his eyebrows suggestively Becca's way. ”Though that's none of my business, of course. Just plain old observation.” He turned back to look at the board he was checking, one by one, moving down the line of solder contacts and fuses, so far, so good.

She confirmed her plans as soon as they could get done. She planned to hit the surf, and then she reminded him of his offer to help her with the sunscreen. He nodded emphatically, though his back was still to her. ”Yes ma'am, and if Bert offers you his help, he's gonna give it to you, you can count on that,” he assured her. But he suddenly paused when she suggested sunbathing 'without tan lines'. That meant, of course, that she'd be going topless at least PART of the trip... and now he just had to make sure he was somewhere nearby!

”As for me... well... I had planned on a bit of sight-seeing, myself... especially if those sights included my favorite pilot in the whole 'verse,” he said. ”She said she'd be needin' my aid to put on the sunscreen, as we wouldn't want her smooth, soft skin to get all burned up,” he added. ”I'll bet you'll be glad to know that I am up to date on ALL my sunscreen application training. You're talkin' to a bonafide sunscreen applicator right here, Becca. A certifiable pro.”

He smiled as he continued on, nearly half-done with his check, and so far so good.

“Oh I heard alright. I told -you- that I can’t help with the thruster, ‘cause I wouldn’t know what to look for. I ain’t the mechanic of this boat.” She said, wondering if they were both speaking the same language, because it sure seemed like they didn’t even though they both seemed to believe they stated the obvious. She remained sprawled in her seat, feet propped up while Bert did his thing. Her bag was still packed, and she wanted to book at room at one of the small, cheap but clean bed and breakfast. She wanted to sleep in a real bed, in a real room, and hopefully in a real house, rather than a tower of room with noisy tenants.

“That kinda likin’? Oh no. Ain’t that kind. I think the captain has a thing for the doc. Chloe’s no same-team player, nope. Sometime, when we go in a town together, we talk men like two teenagers with ragin’ hormones. I guess that’s what spendin’ that much time in space can do to two healthy young women. Pretty sure blondie will be out lookin’ for a decent hunk for a bit of relief. Looks like she could use it, too.” She said, roguish smile on her lips, and she straightened a little in her seat when she stretched her slender, delicate body lazily.

“Grab your swim trunks, your towel and I’ll bring the sunscreen to the party. I really hope there’s a quiet, secluded spot somewhere on that beach. Ain’t it bad that I seek to avoid people – strangers, mainly, you are quite welcome – as much as possible while we’re planet side?” She couldn’t help but to think that she ought to be out already, and hunting for a decent mate for her vacation. Thing was, there was a pretty good potential right here, in this shuttle, and she was quite willing to see where that would head before she sought out a stranger for some intimacy.

Bert chuckled and waved a hand at her response about helping him with the Thruster intake. ”I'll guide you, don't you worry about that. It'll be simple enough, really. If I had to do it myself, it'd be a few hours of removing the cowling, and then ten minutes to examine it and make sure it's all ok. You're small enough that you'll fit and save me those hours, and I won't have to remove anything at all. But I'll walk you through it, easy as pie. Like I always say – I'll take care of ya,” he added, his voice cheerful despite the extra work. If she was able to help as he described, it WOULD cut off a significant portion of time.

As he continued to work, the conversation shifted to the captain, and who the captain 'liked'. Becca seemed to think she had a 'thing' for the doc, which caused Bert to look at her sideways with a sly grin on his face. Yeah, Bert could see that. The doc was a right handsome fella, and a doctor was a pretty prestigious occupation. He couldn't see Chloe ever goin' for a 'mechanic', but a doctor? Yeah, that just 'felt' right. He did some more work for a few moments, then cast another gaze her way, his eyes locking on her body as she stretched lazily across the seat she sprawled in. Damn, that was one fine woman.

”Oh yeah, I could see Blondie findin' a hunk to take the 'edge' off, at least. Hopefully Talia will, too – and heck, even you could use a little tumble,” he said without hesitation. ”A doc once told me that goin' too long without was a danger to the body. It added certain.... stresses, that the body wasn't keen on endurin'. Sortta like a ship that needs maintenance,” he said, turning his gaze to the nearby wall and gently slapping it with the flat of one palm. But the mischievous smile on his face made it clear where his mind was at. ”And anytime you wanna talk 'men' like a teenager with raging-hormones, I'd be happy to volunteer as a listener, myself. I have good ears,” he said, smiling.

Becca urged him to grab his swim-trunks, towel, and some sunscreen. She admitted her hope to finding a nice, quiet secluded spot somewhere, and then asked if it was bad that she wanted to -avoid- people on this mini-vacation that they were all lucky enough to have.

Bert shook his head and turned to look back at her again. ”No ma'am. It's not bad at all. We don't -get- a lot of time like this, of course. So when we do, you have a right to use that time however you see fit. Sometimes I just grab a bag of my best stuff, and find a good spot where I can see the sunrise and sunset of whatever planet we're on, and just smoke and dream,” he said with a slight shrug, just to show her that sometimes he, too, sought solitude. ”Gotta admit, though, sharin' time with someone is usually a bit more fun, though. Imagine all the trouble we could get up to...,” he added, winking at her playfully before turning back around to continue working on the panel he was examining. So far, he had found two fuses and one solder-joint that needed fixed. Those small things weren't the -likely- problem, but one or both of them certainly could be. Fixed, now, they'd find out soon enough if it was enough to silence the engine issue Becca had experienced....

“Alright. I’ll sit here lookin’ pretty while you work.” She agreed although it bothered her somewhat to be useless for the time being. She set herself comfortable, feet propped up and hands behind her head. From where she was, she could watch him work and whenever he would look toward her, he’d get an eyeful of her slender form as well. She wished that the crew had this kind of leave more often. Rebecca felt like she could use some. Being on the surface of a planet did not have the same feel as artificial gravity. It might just be in her head, but… It felt comfortable being on the surface of the planet, and safe too.

Rebecca snorted when he started talking about body “maintenance”. She clearly didn’t buy it. “Like you, I’ve got my own two hands to take care of business. There ain’t no stress there. Nah, but sometimes I do wonder. With all the time we spend up there, if I ain’t missin’ out on the whole house, husband and kids experience. I still got time for that, but it’s naggin’ at me every once in a while. ” She said and sighed, but it wasn’t a depressed sigh. It was a comfortable in that chair, being on vacation and stress free kind of sigh.

“Talkin’ men’s something I prefer to do with other women. No offense to your good ears.” She said and chuckled, then she pondered his next words and there it was again, the hint that they could do something physical and interesting. “Bert, did you shave because of what I said in the galley the other day?” She asked point blank. She wanted to know, because the idea that he might have made her feel both flattered and guilty. Flattered because it showed a definite interest in her, but guilty because he had gotten rid of something that he obviously liked for her. Unless growing his beard had been just laziness and no will to shave, but regardless; she wasn’t too sure on how to feel about it.

Bert gave Becca a sideways glance when she finally gave-in and said she'd sit and look pretty while he finished the work inside the ship. He watched her get comfy, and it was a nice thing to watch, too, as she squirmed and wiggled, and the angle gave him a clear picture of how lithe her body was. God-DAMN, what he wouldn't give to have THAT beneath him! Her hands pinned above her head, his lips on hers....

He quickly forced his gaze back around to his front, looking back to his work so that he could focus – even if he was still smilin'.

Bert couldn't help but chuckle when she disagreed with his assessment about 'physical needs'. Becca completely and bluntly admitted that she could 'take care of herself' with her own two hands, and once again he felt a pang of desire course through him. If only he had a small cam planted in her room, what he wouldn't give to see -that-. A woman pleasurin' herself was pretty sexy, in his eyes, but seeing -her- do it? Damn... was it getting warmer inside the shuttle? And why did his pants suddenly feel a bit more snug?

”Hey, I'm just repeatin' what a doctor told me. And we trust doctors, don't we? They know lots of stuff – book-stuff and body-stuff. Hmmm... makes ya wonder if that's how our new doctor has caught the captain's eye? Maybe -he's- pulled this whole, 'You gotta find a way to release that stress' thing on her, and maybe it's worked,” he wondered aloud. Didn't matter to him one way or the other if the doc and the captain were knockin' boots. Bert had long felt that the captain really -needed- to get laid, and if it helped chill her out a bit – so much the better!

But he also heard Becca's words about the whole 'family' thing, and it gave him pause, too. Had he ever thought about it? Sure. A time or three, perhaps. But marryin' someone would require handin' part of the authority over to the other half, and he had never really wrapped his head around that before. He was a free soul, and beholden to no one (except the person who paid him). Having a spouse would simply put too many 'restrictions' on him, he knew. But... he also knew that it came with various benefits, as well...

”I hear ya, sweetpea. We've all got that clock tickin' inside us, and the older we get, sometimes the faster that clock seems to be goin',” he replied, once again agreeing with her assessment because he, too, had occasionally harbored similar thoughts.

Becca quickly informed him that such talk was generally something she kept to the ladies about, and he nodded his head in understanding. ”Ah, I see now. Since I got a bit different plumbing than you do, there are things you can't tell me. Gotcha,” he teased back at her. He wasn't bothered at all at her wish for privacy. He respected it, just like she respected others, herself.

And then she bluntly asked him why he shaved and cut his hair. He thought she -knew- why, but... maybe she didn't? What if she had been kidding the whole time? And what if she thought he was a dumbass now for doin' it in the first place? Like he thought he really ever had a chance with someone like her? Well, if that was the case – it was certainly better to find out now, when it was just the two of them present, than learnin' the truth some other time where someone else would be listenin' and enjoying such a crushing revelation.

”I have to admit... your words mighta had somethin' to do with it, sure,” he said, ”But I also knew where we were goin', and I knew it was gonna be warm here, so... in an effort to be more comfortable...,” he shrugged as he worked, though he knew that second part of his reasoning probably sounded pretty lame. In truth, though, he HAD done it because of her comments, but he certainly didn't want her to feel 'responsible' for his actions, or guilty in any way, shape or form.

”It will grow back, though, so no worries. And if it grows back as quick as usual, it will probably be back to the way it was in a day or two,” he joked, figuring that would give her an 'out' if she was feeling bad about it at all, though he didn't really expect her to.

And with a few more movements of his hands and the tools that he held within each of them, he put the circuit board back into the wall, and gently closed the panel.

”God DAMN. Sometimes I am just too damn GOOD,” he said, turning around to face her, a big smile on his face, replacing the tools he held into the various pockets and loops around his belt.

”You comin' with me outside, ready to do some work? Or are you just gonna lay there lookin' all sexy and enticing while I do it all?” he asked as he headed casually toward the shuttle's exit.

“Depends on the doctor, really.” She said from her perch while she watched Bert work on the shuttle. She could have shut up, they would have made it back on the Goldhound safely, and Bert would already be on vacation. But no, she had had to say something in hopes to shake off the XO and the merc, one of which seemed to want to stick to them more than Becca felt comfortable with. She had the nagging feeling that it was about sticking to -her-, and she just didn’t swing that way. She could find a woman beautiful, but in spite of their talk about women turning to other women when there weren’t any available men around, Becca wasn’t convinced that that label stuck to her.

When he spoke of biological clock, she wondered if he included himself into that. The idea of a family with Bert felt a bit… off. His love of the weed clashed with her idea of what it would take for a man to be a good father. He always kept the ship top-shape, though so it wasn’t like he had no sense of responsibilities. Rebecca suddenly shook her head when she realized that she was actually evaluating Bert’s potential as a father. Where did -that- come from?

Rebecca felt a mix of flattery and guilt when he admitted that what she had said regarding his facial hair weighed in the balance. She didn’t know if he was serious about the warmth here, but she didn’t question it. She had no clue if facial hair really held that much warmth, but she knew that longer hair did, like now she wished that she had thought about keeping a hair tie around her wrist to put her hair up. “Suits you, Bert. It really does. I’m glad I could get a good look at you without that curtain of hair.” She said and stood from her chair.

The movement was unaffected; she simply got up and moved on toward the exit of the shuttle. She did stretch again before she went out, though. “You sayin’ that I don’t look sexy and enticin’ all the time? Gotta try harder seducin’ you then.” She said and shook her head. She let out a heavy sigh, mocked, and then gave Bert a broad smile. She was trying to bait him into making a move, into letting her know what he wanted with her, but things would go as fast, or as slow, as he would want them to.

Bert chuckled heartily when Becca responded to his comment about the new ship's doc by suggested it depended on the doc – and the mechanic was nodding in total agreement. “Ain't that the truth! I s'pose Mr. VanWinkle, or whatever his name is, is easy enough on the eyes as far as lady-folk are concerned. If he was ninety years old and looked like a shriveled grocery bag, then I suspect the captain would have a bit of a different reaction,” he chuckled again.

For Bert's part, he was pretty happy to be alone with Becca, even if he had just a little bit of work to do before they could get started on the 'vacation'. The problem she mentioned wasn't something serious – but as he had learned throughout all his years of training, something small or benign could easily turn INTO something serious if it wasn't taken care of. Bert liked to be proactive in that regard. Better to avoid problems altogether, rather than letting things go until they cropped up.

Admitting to her that her opinion of him mattered wasn't that easy for him to do. But he figured he'd flirted with her enough, and she with him, that this was as good a time as any to make a move. He wouldn't do it -now-, while he was working of course, but when she asked him about the reason he cut his hair, he felt a little daring by telling her the truth. Maybe that would freak her out, or maybe it wouldn't. But her response was a positive one, telling him that it suited him. That wasn't exactly a 'glowing' compliment, but at least she didn't say that it looked bad and he should grow it all back as soon as possible, either, so there was a silver lining.

She rose to move across the small compartment to the exit and paused for a moment before responding to his query about her immediate plans to help him, or to sit around looking sexy while he did all the work. She challenged him in her reply, then, and he laughed again.

”Oh no, you look mighty fine all the time, Becca. REAL good, in fact. And you ain't gotta try hard to seduce me at all. All you need to do is say the word, and you can considered myself 'seduced',” he said with a grin from ear to ear. It might have sounded like a joke, but it was truthful still. He'd wanted to get it on with her since he first met her, and the more he got to know her, the more he wanted her. It wouldn't really take much 'effort' on her part to make it happen, he knew – all she'd need to do is give a hint that's what she wanted, and it would simply happen.

But he knew that was far from an 'assumed' thing, so he didn't act like it was.

He headed outside either just before her or just after her, depending on if she waited for him to exit, or if she stepped out first. When he did, he squinted and turned around to gaze up at the side of the shuttle. He didn't see anything obviously wrong, which was good, and then he pointed at the engine intake he had told her about.

”If you're willing to crawl in there, I'll tell you what to look for. Should only take a couple minutes. If what you tell me is what it should look like, then we're done. But if you describe something different and sets my ears to burnin', I'll be having my hands full when we get the shuttle back to the Goldhound,” he said. ”If you come here, I can give you a boost up there to it,” he added. The intake was about nine to ten feet off the ground – he could help her up to reach it, if she let him....

Becca chuckled and nodded in reaction to his comment about the doc and the captain’s reaction if he had had a different look. She might have tried to seduce the doctor if the captain had not put her hands on him first. He was a handsome guy, well-built, obviously quite intelligent if he really was a doctor. At the same time, going for someone who knew more about her own body than herself made her uneasy. Yeah, no, she wouldn’t have gone for the doctor herself. Besides… Bert was so much more fun.

As she headed out, talked about trying harder to seduce him, he was rather blunt about what he thought of her seduction skills and of his answer to them. She laughed softly and glanced his way with a crooked, roguish smile. “Duly noted” She said, and finally, they were outside. So, being with Bert was going to happen. The idea left her feeling both excited and more than a little anxious.

This kind of affairs on the ship could turn its atmosphere from a nice, big family to a cold, unpleasant, hostile one if the two involved fought constantly or broke it off with a heavy resentment. How awkward would it be if Bert didn’t enjoy his time with her? She wasn’t without experience, and certainly wasn’t a virgin, but he had not exactly been focusing on boys since becoming an adult. Her knowledge and experience were both rather limited. What if she was all awkward, did something really stupid or…

“Crawl in there. Doesn’t sound fun. And it’s rather high.” Making it a little obvious that her resistance shown earlier in the shuttle wasn’t about being difficult, or wanting to do things her own way. The idea to go into that space was making her skin crawl. She wasn’t a mechanic for a good reason: she wanted to be the one to use the engines to move things, not the one to get into tight spaces to go fix things. She whispered a rather long string of Chinese curses under her breath.

“Please tell me that ain’t just some opportunity to get a good feel of my ass, cuz you really don’t need an excuse. Just kiss me first and...” She wasn’t too proud to admit that tight spaces scared the shit out of her, but she didn’t really want to advertise it either. It was obvious in her behavior, as she sore or glared at the space where she’d have to go check on things that she was absolutely not comfortable. “It was minimal, you know. Nothing that can’t wait until we’re back on the skypex. I just wanted to get rid of Emma and be left alone with you…” She admitted, glancing his way, and then back at the engine.

Becca seemed to be her rather cheerful self as they headed outside. Everything on the inside of the ship checked-out, which told the mechanic that if there was some sort of issue, it was external. And while that kind of work would prove cheaper than busted electronics or faulty computer systems, outside work also usually meant a lot of long, dirty work, certainly a lot more work than replacing a burnt-out circuit board. Bert just had to hope that it wasn't something serious that would ruin the entire mini-vacation.

She had taken his flirting with the usual grace that she did, not appearing to be offended at all. Maybe she was used to guys hitting on her, or perhaps she just didn't take him seriously. Even when he was at his most 'blunt', like today, she still seemed completely unphased. He couldn't tell if she -liked- his compliments at all, or maybe she just saw his banter as the 'usual Bert' just randomly saying stuff because he had a very tiny and not-often-used word-to-mouth-filter. It had gotten him into hot water more than once.

Her response to his explanation of what he needed her to do quickly made Bert take notice. She wasn't keen at all on going into the intake as he described. It wouldn't be dangerous, especially for someone smaller like her, but even at her size it would still be a bit cramped. For anyone who didn't like closed-in spaces, it sure wouldn't be fun for more than a few minutes. As if to emphasize that, Becca expressed her sincere hope that this wasn't just some sort of ploy so that Bert could grope her. Well, if he would have THOUGHT about that, he very well might have come up with the idea himself.

”Nope, no ploy, sweetpea. I take our safety very seriously – especially when I am flyin' on the ship, too!” he said with a soft chuckle.

But then she admitted that the noise she heard wasn't that bad at all – and that her primary goal had been to get rid of Emma. Bert stopped and raised a brow at that... and then a slow smile slipped across his lips.

”Well, well, now. Seems we've got a sneaky pilot on this crew,” he said, still playful – and a lot of the tension in his shoulders faded and he instantly relaxed. Knowing that she had used a minor noise in an effort to bore someone else enough to get them moving along was pretty awesome of her to do – especially since it was him she apparently wanted to be with. ”If that's really the case, well then we can skip the whole dirty crawling-around-the-intake mess... but only if you're sure, he said, resting his hands on his hips.

Rebecca was stressed taut. The more she thought about going up that intake, the more wound up she was. She knew that if she had to do it, if her life depended on it, she had to avoid thinking and just go in. She had done the overthinking part now, and it was too late. Her gaze went from the intake, to Bert, and back to the dreaded opening. Mechanic was not her thing, she justified in her mind, but she could not lie to herself. There was more to it than that. Tight, dark space, especially if dangerous, was just a big, fat nope.

Her gaze stopped on him and with his words, the tension in her whole body eased up from violin string-taut to her usual more relaxed self. Everything was fine, real vacation starting. She gave him a broad smile and nodded her head. She was very sure that the slight pull she felt from the intake was not going to blow them into pieces or crash-land them with the take off. “I didn’t think I was bein’ particularly sneaky. Neither was she. To be honest, she makes my skin crawl. Dunno if it’s companion trainin’ or no-so-subtle hittin’ on me, or what…but yeah. I’m sure.” she said, knowing that she could talk like this to Bert without causing a problem on the ship.

“Bert. A woman’s gonna give you only so many invites to kiss her before she decides to move on to someone more… cooperatin’ or interested.” She teased and she walked passed him to go get her belongings in the shuttle before making it secure to be left on it’s own. As she did so, she bumped her shoulder against him playfully. “Do it before you smoke, please. I’d like a fonder memory of our first kiss than the taste of smoke and weed.” She teased him, and gave him something of a roguish grin.

His flirts had not gone unnoticed, but she was never one for flirting. She could, if she put some thoughts into it, and she appreciated all the compliments for sure. There had been the issue of all that facial hair, but now… Now there was no facial hair issue. There was no attraction issue. And there were no chaperone who would stick to them like some piece of tape you just couldn’t manage to get off your skin, no matter how hard you tried.

Bert raised a brow when Becca made her comments about the companion they had recently taken on board the GoldHound. Bert thought the girl was cute and all, but she had barely said two words to him – which was pretty much par for the course since most people found him a little bit... strange. He was fine with that, of course – if some folk didn't like him because of who he was, then it wasn't likely worth his time getting' to know them anyway.

”Other than lookin' the part, she doesn't really strike me as a 'Companion' to be honest. Oh, I know they are probably all a bit different, of course, they ain't carbon-copies of each other. But ours has more of a... roguish-type feel to her, rather than that 'walks in water' type feel that I've heard so much about. But I am probably one of the people who knows the least about 'em, to be truthful, so I could just be plain wrong,” he finished with a shrug. When it came down to it, Bert didn't know Emma all that well at all.

But it was her next comment that had both of Bert's brows trying to crawl up his forehead and into his hair-line, as she made it abundantly clear that she had given him not just one, but more than one invite to kiss her. Maybe he didn't do 'subtle' too well, or maybe he was just in his 'mechanic mode' and had missed the cues, but now that she made it clear she had made the offer – and he wasn't yet showin' any signs of accepting – she definitely had his attention. His mouth moved to reply, but no words came out, as if a dozen or so thoughts were all trying to escape at once. She walked past him, gently bumping her shoulder into him in that playful way they sometimes did, and his head turned to watch her go. She added in her one major request – and that was enough to help him find his tongue.

”Oh, well, if puttin' off the wacky-tabacky is what it takes to lock lips with you, Becca, you can take it to the bank that I won't light up if'n there's a chance we might get... close. I smoke it purely for recreation – not addiction,” he assured her, his eyes wide, his voice and demeanor serious now as if trying to impress her.

The urge to rush to her and kiss her now was pretty strong, now, too, after what she said. But she had also hinted at a 'fonder memory', and he wondered if Becca was one of those girls who did – or didn't – wanna rush things, instead being more interested in waiting just a bit longer for a moment more... proper. His eyes lowered and glued to her ass – sweet hickory bacon, that ASS! - as she walked back into the ship to retrieve her things, and that reminded him that he needed to do the same... instead of just standing there like a statue with his mouth hangin' open.

Moving quickly – and almost tripping over himself in the moment – Bert made his way back into the shuttle, as well, quickly putting away his tools now that he knew he didn't need them.

”You know, I mighta taken your hints... but might just be waitin' for the right moment. You know, one of those moments that you won't ever forget,” he said, making a solid and genuine attempt to sound romantic. He wasn't a 'pro' at the romance-stuff, but he knew some of the basics. He wasn't a 'pro' at the flirtation stuff, either... but they'd come close enough to it since they met that it had given him the urge to pursue her a bit – and hopefully now, that would pay off.

Standing up, his own dufflebag in one hand, he turned and smiled her way. ”Ready when you are,” he said, motioning toward the door, ready to follow her out – and into the world...

Rebecca agreed to what Bert said with a slow nod. It was very true. Emma did not behave like a companion. She was a bit rough around the edges, had a… slouched style to her with some rather doubtful principles and ideas. Rebecca was pretty sure that a proper companion hitting on her would not make her feel like it was time to run for the hills. Emma sure did.

“I know, Bert. We’ve spent ‘nough time in the black together, you ain’t always stone. Even when you are, you still ain’t that stone unless you wanna sleep but can’t.” Rebecca said, answering in kind of his comment. It was really just a request, so that the kiss would not taste like an old ash tray. Not that she had ever tasted one of these herself.

“You don’t do subtle, Bert, and ain’t sure you do romantic either.” She said, and laughed softly. Her duffle in hand, she was ready to go, but she still stopped standing right in front of him, her clear green eyes set onto his. “But man, you need to learn to see an opportunity when you see one.” She pointed out, crooked smile on her lips. She climbed onto her toes, carefully grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her for a kiss.

She wasn’t against being the one to take the first steps, but she had tried to wait for him to grab that opportunity. Now that it was obvious they were both willing to get at least at the kissing stage of their friendship-that-may-eventually-include-benefits, she didn’t want to wait anymore, there was just no reason to. They were safe, inside the shuttle, and if the kiss was disastrous, she knew that they would both laugh it off and give it another try with some adjustments. She wasn’t too sure how the captain would see mechanic and pilot “with benefits” but given that she was not so subtly sleeping with the doctor…

Becca agreed with his claim, and that was important to him – more important than he realized. He didn't want her to think he was stoned out of his mind all the time – or even regularly. He was a casual user of the leaf he smoked, and when he didn't, he didn't binge on it. It helped take the edge off, and she even point-blank made it clear she knew that he sometimes smoked it in order to help him sleep when he had a hard time doing it.

His eyes darted away for a moment when she said it. It was nothing to be proud of. A lot of people might think him 'weak' for it – but those fuckers hadn't walked a mile in his shoes, or seen what he'd seen! But Becca seemed to know – and understand.

But then she accused him of not being able to do 'subtle', and expressed her doubt about him doing 'romantic', either. He smirked an let out a noise of disbelief – but he didn't -say- anything to refute her claims. He wasn't big on 'subtle'. Direct and to the point were so much easier, especially in his line of work, and most especially during moments of importance. Telling Jack that the engine was in desperate need of repair was 'subtle'. Telling Jack that the engine was gonna 'splode and splatter them all throughout the black was more direct and to the point and tended to get her attention – and the desired response – that much quicker. Why beat around the bush, when the desired end-result would just take longer to reach?

She laughed softly, their eyes locked on one another, as she encouraged him to catch-on when a moment was ripe for something more intimate. As if to show him, she grabbed the front of his shirt, rose to her tip-toes, and and pulled gently downward such that his head moved naturally towards hers – until their lips met.

Lucky for him, he hadn't lit up that day, and that morning – in preparation to be in a shuttle and in the presence of three hotties – including Becca, the one he REALLY desired – he had bathed, and shaved and, of course, brushed his teeth. So when their lips met, he had full and complete confidence... but he also had poise.

Their lips pressed together, and he let it progress smoothly, gently... even slowly. If she wanted to eat his face, he'd get the hint quick enough and return the favor. But right now, he wanted her to know, to feel, that he was eager to enjoy every second of it... his one free hand sliding to her hip and around it to her lower back, gently holding her to him as his neck craned downward, making the kiss more comfortable for them both.

Damn.. -this- was certainly a nice start, he thought... and now, he just hoped she thought so as well...

As far as first kisses went, this one was pretty damn near perfect. Rebecca started slow, wanting to give him time to wrap his head around it happening, here and now, and on her own terms rather than his. He did not waste time answering, but she had not expected him to. There was a moment where she wasn’t sure if he’d embrace her or simply limit himself to kissing, but then she felt his arm around her back and her mind was put at ease.

Rebecca tilted her head to allow a deeper kiss, and her body covered the small distance remaining between them to come and press itself against him. Her bag hit the floor of the shuttle with a soft thud when she decided to wrap both of her arms around his neck. They had been flirting so long, and she had thought about kissing him more than once. Sometimes more than once during the same encounter, but always something stopped her. Either it was the lingering weed smell on his breath, or all that hair on his face, or sometimes it was just the wrong moment because there were other people around…

She had no excuses now, and Rebecca intended not to look for one. That kiss was finally happening. He would know how long she had been celibate, how she often remained on the ship while everyone else was on errands. She very rarely took the opportunity for a quick romp in some port with a stranger. That wasn’t her thing. She liked casual, sometimes, but she needed a connection of some kind to want to be with someone, and she had that connection with him. He was so much fun to have around, made her smile and laugh. He made the black a far less lonely place.

Rebecca brought the kiss to an end in a most natural way, but she did not pull back completely. She brushed her lips against his teasingly as she opened her eyes. “You know, we should do that more often,” she said softly and one of his hands came to caress his soft cheek. Her gaze went to his, wanting to see his reaction to the kiss and to her word, but she did not take a step away from him, nor did she moved her head enough to prevent resuming the kiss if he so wished.

Much as it was for her, Bert had also wanted this for quite a long time. True, he flirted with just about any girl he thought was worth the time to flirt with, and Becca certainly fit into that category. But in the time she'd been on the GoldHound, he'd found himself drawn to her more than the others, and in truth - he felt the most... relaxed... when in her presence. The other ladies who had come and gone certainly had their good points, but none like Becca.

Also like her, he'd thought of kissing her many, many times in the past. For him, it wasn't worry of her breath or her face that kept him from it. Instead, it was the uncertainty of how she might react. A simple slap across the face would have been fine enough, but if she told the captain about it... well... he rather liked his job on the ship, and the pay was definitely better than most other ships he'd been on. Sure, he knew he could find other work, but he -liked- this ship and its crew - including Becca, of course. He didn't want to risk losing that, and he certainly didn't want to risk alienating or angering Becca herself. He considered her a friend - and those weren't easy to come by out in the black.

But now they were doing something 'friends' didn't always do. Maybe that's all she'd see him as - a 'friend' with the ability to distract her for a bit. Maybe even possibly a 'friend with benefits'. He could certainly fill that mold for her if that's all she wanted, and part of him wanted that same thing. But another part of him thought maybe there could be something a bit different. Some sort of... consistency? But he didn't let his mind dwell on it too much as the kiss slowly deepened.

Bert decided to let it takes its course, and simply enjoy it... and enjoy it he did. The deliberate slowness, the intentional easiness in which it happened, the calm, relaxed pace all worked together to fire him up pretty strongly, as well, and it didn't take long for an all-too-familiar ache to begin in his pants. It was quite easy to imagine doing far more intimate things -while- kissing like this.

Almost as if sensing it, she brought the kiss to a slow end, and he didn't push his luck. Why ruin a good thing? She didn't pull completely away from him, then, and instead opened her gorgeous eyes and looked up at him. She suggested doing -that- more often, and his eyes widened in response, a bright smile instantly forming on his lips.

"The more often, the better. Anytime, anyplace, and twice on Sundays," he muttered softly but enthusiastically, clearly conveying how much he enjoyed it - and desired it again. She caressed his cheek, and he blushed slightly - that wasn't a show of affection he was used to, especially with smooth, bare skin. His crooked grin remained, and he couldn't help but cast a faint, quick glance back at the shuttle.

"You know... it's awful temptin' to drag you back into the privacy of the shuttle...," he said, hinting at sly thoughts. "If we get to kissin' like that again... I might not be able to stop it next time..," he added, suggestively hinting at where further kissing like what they had just shared could lead. It gave her an 'out', too, if she wanted to move on, but it also passed along his message, his clear desire to kiss her again - and perhaps even more than that, if given the opportunity...

2517, The Unification War has been over for a decade and Miranda is still a secret. Into The Black is an Alternate Universe Firefly & Serenity fandom roleplaying game. It centers around independent crews of different ships which travel all over the 'verse created by Joss Whedon.